In
honor of National Fire Prevention Week, recognized Oct 9 through 15, 2016, I’m
reprinting, with permission, an essay written by a young friend of mine who
wishes to remain anonymous. Our society has benefited greatly from the
invention of an automatic sprinkler system.
Such a simple concept, when you read about it. I found this a very interesting essay and I
wanted to share it with you, and perhaps give you something to think about and be thankful for this week. (ps...any typos are mine as I had to transcribe from hard copy...)
Mrs.
O’Leary and her fabled “cow-tastrophe” which resulted in the Great Chicago Fire
of 1871 would not have become legendary if automatic fire sprinklers had been
installed in her barn. But the first practical
system would not be invented for another three years.
Two-hundred
people who perished when a gas lamp ignited a fire at the Paris Opera in 1897
would not have had their lives cut short had automatic fire sprinklers been
installed. But the first system was
designed to protect commercial goods stored in warehouses, not to save lives.
Four-hundred
and sixty-four Paraguayans would still be alive today had there been sprinklers
at the Ycuá Bolaños Botánico Supermarket when a fire swept through there in
2004. But Asunción city code does not
require automatic sprinkler systems be installed in new construction.
